This invention relates to a vehicle and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a vehicle for agricultural use of the type commonly known as a tractor.
A conventional tractor employs a hitch assembly by means of which various agricultural implements such as a plough can be towed.
The tractor conventionally comprises front and rear axles which are rigid relative to a chassis of the tractor.
The propulsive force and therefore the tractive force (pull) developed by the tractor, therefore depends not only on the force that the engine of the tractor transmits to the rear driven wheels, but also on the load on those wheels. If the axle load is too small the wheels will slip and fail to grip the ground. Hence to increase the load and press the ground wheels into the ground, ballast weights are often provided at the rear, and to balance the tractor, ballast weights are sometimes carried at the front.
It will be appreciated that it would be preferred to use a lighter vehicle for such agricultural purposes to reduce compaction of the ground as the vehicle travels over it but hithertofore a satisfactory lighter vehicle has not been achieved.
Another problem with conventional tractors is that they are not ideally suited to travelling on normal roads. This is mainly because of the unsprung nature of the tractor construction.